Paperboard cartons are commonly used for packaging pasteurized and ultrapasteurized milk and juice products. Such products are commonly packaged in gable top cartons which are preformed with a closed bottom before being filled. Typically, the cartons are advanced through a filling machine on a conveyor. Before the cartons are filled, a hydrogen peroxide solution is sprayed into the interior of the carton to kill the bacteria that causes spoilage of the milk. Safety precautions must be used to prevent hydrogen peroxide from causing injury to the workers. Regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration limit the amount of hydrogen peroxide permitted in the air where workers are present.
After the hydrogen peroxide solution is sprayed into the carton, it is necessary to dry the interior of the carton before the carton can be filled with milk or other food product. The hydrogen peroxide solution is removed from the interior of the carton in conventional filling machines by applying heated air to the interior of the carton. The conveyor that supports the cartons in the machine stops for a predetermined time interval to permit operations, such as filling, closing and sealing, to be performed on the carton in sequence. If an operation requires more time than the predetermined time interval, then it is necessary to increase the time interval, or provide additional stations where the operation is repeated one or more times. The manner of blowing heated air into the carton by conventional machines is insufficient to fully remove the hydrogen peroxide from the interior of the carton at one station, and it is necessary to provide several additional drying stations before the cartons can be filled with milk. The need for multiple drying stations in these prior packaging machines not only adds to the expense of the machines, but also limits the production rate of the machines.